Telegram-herald., 1887-12-23
FORD ON WOOL TARIFF
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tns rsductlon Of daEy ga sool. Congress-
m2n AslbouFas H. Ford, the sarnsst aud
snsEx-sle rsfosnsr from the fifth Distr iet.
has answered ths gentleman IN istter Of
eh2fsetsrssie lares sad Fi<or. The cores
ponds1cs has been given 70 the Free Press
rsprssen tsEsss i0r pa blicati0n- The istlsr
CT Psesidenr Rlch ana Ar. Ford's ansser
ELBA, Mich, Dec. II. lss7
Hon Meltourts H. fsrd. 8ssatagl0ss, ~ O.
Dxsa ela-Ia behalf of the Aicai<an
ksnno snesp bresdsrs Association 1 de-
sire 10 ssk goo Il you sihs ~ your vote aad
iaduencs 90 Nnal you can 10 pfevent zny
further rsductioa 0f tas imp0rt duties on
wool and so0lsas.
IA s4Fiy reply riil oe appreciated
Respectfully yours.
Presldent
WAss1ssros. d. C., Dec. IL. 1881.
Joha T. hicA, ffesists,st kicA.gaA hersso
.sAcep 6rcsd<rs' Association. Eita, AiCA.
DzAa SiE--1 our fsvsr Of the lzth inst. Is
frc-lyed.
Yea inquire, ia behalf Of your sssocia-
tioa a. 10 uhether / viii by my vote and
lnhusncs do HAst / can 20 prevent any
further reductl0n Of ths inport duties on
sosi and soolens-
la reply l would say.
IE has bssn estimated By the President
that ths surplus shich will bs collected oy
tRs government during the present nseal
wear rill amount 10 $40. 10000. For
many years past the average amount
sanaaIiy collected from the psople. IN ex-
cess Of the needs OF the goFernment. has
been over 500 l0.eOO such an enormous
amount Of noney drawn from the people
in excess OF the governments needs Is a
natter shicn may wsll cause serious a2-
prshensi0n tor the future IN tne minds OF
al tniakinx men. This country cannot
long endure snch contraction OF its cur
rency without osing visited with rainous
haancisl panic. Something must De done,
taxation must DC reduced
A reduction OF taxstlOn can take plscs
only "a two ways ~ by . reduction OF
internal rsyeBue (on liquors and tobacco;
% reduction of the tariff on imported
commodities. Many OF the high tariff party
In Congress favor the abolition OF the taxes
upon wnisky and tobacco. 1 cannot acceps
that propagation and 1 could never bring
myself 10 isesor reduction Of the internal
revenue unless it were contained In a COM
promise measure which included large
tariff reduction, and then / would do II
only a q lxst resort and on account Of the
critical situation presented 10 Us by reason
OF the enormous Surplus which our wa
taxes annually wrung from tue pockets OF
the people.
/ behave il Is the plain duty Of every
mem per OF the present Congress 20 vote 70
reduce the tsxes upon the necessaries OF
life. Certainly those are the burdens ca
bear heaviest, ard these are the ones Waa.ch
sAould De hghtensd arst- A reduction Of
ne tsria would be easily accomplished were
IL not for the determined opposition OF an
interested class OF men. VINO 10, the most
l. - hr. n -
rich and powerful by reason of the present
tariff laws, which allow them the pyivilege
OF con Dslling the people of the Vest 70 con-
tribute TO their support ia ease and luxury.
These rnsn, IN order 10 carry favor with the
farmers and receiYe'their aid IN the scheme
TO continue the present ancient method OF
taxation, have continually painted in glow
ing eolors the great benefits to oe derived by
the farmer from the tsrid on wool.
1 don't believe the tariff on imported
wool ever raised the price Of wool ia this
eonntry one penny. From lcoO TO 1850.
wool eas admitted practically tree during
i've years of that period, whils for the other
i've years there was . tariff on imported
wool Of thirty per cent From 1870 TO lSsC,
vs bad the highest tariff on wool We ever
had Taxing those two decades, and turn
ing 20 the record furnished oy James Lynch
and George Wm- Bond, conceded TO be the
nest ststisticisns on wool prices Ia the
United states. we End that tae average
price OF wool ia gold az Boston between
is5O and f-60 was fifty and three tenths
e-ats a pound. while from 1870 TO isoO it
was forty eight and eigat-teDths eents q
pound
In 1867. 1853. 1859 and 1850 foreign wool
vas admitted practically free, How did
that work The result vas that wool s0id
at an averages hixher price during shat time
than it has for f.ty years. il We exceps the
three wears following 1870.
In ls67 The tsrifi oo wool was enormously
increased. in that year Il ras raised 50 that
il averaged from ifty 70 sixty per cent. aud
that hixh tariff continued for sixteen years
substantially the same, except there was q
slight reducnon in ls72 What was the re-
suit In isS7 st the sine the high tariff
vent into elect. there we're t.0ZS 767 sheep
in me State Of Michigan, and under the
rsrnicious effects OF % per cent tariff on
vo,l. on the ist OF January. 1887, the num-
Der OF those sheep bad dvindIed 70 2.i56.-
III
The reason for this Is obvious. Our WOOL
en- manufacturers are Obliged TO have the
foreign wool 20 mix with the domestic
wool. IN order to make proper fabrics. And
when ths price ef tne foreign wool q
artifcislly increased by tsrid tsxaticn. the
voolsn manufacturing industry IL 10 that
extent crippled IN ia composition with for
eir, manufacturers. And II our WOODEN
notwithstanding industries are not prosper
Gus. The demand tor domestic WOOL vii not
be active. aud II the demand decreases. the
price of wool vii decline
R,lt. ief me suppose for The moment that
he tsrif on imported wo0l gioes increase
tAe price of the domestic article. What does
is amount 70 The wool crop 0f the olted
sfsfes does not exceed two per csnt Of ocr
entire Agricultural production- fasref0rs,
n The Wool tariff beaefits the isrner g bene-
nts him on two per cent. Of bis crcp. Bat
whst becomes q tAe ether ninety eight per
cent Wool = not the oniy thing on The
tsrif list. There - scarcely an article to-
d@y in The home ol the farmer bat mas paid
q bonus 10 the man who made it When
one member ~ tue high tarif party stands
IN rent of tne arfner pretending % give
him t.1 cents On his weoi, the tsrn1er does
NOS observe nat another memcer Of thss
rsrtv . standing behind bin aeftly going
rhrouxhr his pecksts Tor ninety csnts.
Win unpsraileled efronterv the advo
rsfs. Of fhe var tsrilf- IN time Of pesce pol
icv ask the farmer - yak ap and pas sl5
for an s. sait of clothes. Stll for su SIS
sewing machine. 81 i0r s. sbswL They
forre him - rsv increased prices for his
farming fmpieFueuts- te sell his produce n
ssorsien market st a ggsrulr sun. lbey
fell hius 70 neekiv endure All these and a
thousand ether imposisiens snd tast be
must % eomf0rted ~ the thought thar
fbere - sarif cn vcei Il the fsrif on
~orl ever puts q aoisr into the fzrrner' :
,,orset then the tsrif ga afher things tskes
ace eu1 Of his pockef.
arr IN fsvor Of rp.lHeinx tie var isris
~rr- en- everythinz. Z au 0pposed - frazid
Sec.it and hnlnenE And. z6<n the East
<rn fsrsf uaon0coiists SEEK 10 nse he far.
mer - q csts-psw 10 All them 10 nsintsin
.-,d centinus the sos1u ~ = fortv sever pes